Succession’s Roy family and the Murdochs, compared – how similar are the characters from HBO’s hit TV show to media billionaire Rupert and his clan, from Elisabeth to Lachlan?

May 10 , 2023

Brian Cox (outermost left) plays the character Logan Roy on HBO hit show Succession, said to be inspired by Rupert Murdoch (centre left); his fictional daughter Siobhan Roy seems to mirror certain facets of Elisabeth Murdoch’s own life, too. Photos: AP, Reuters, @succession/Instagram, Getty Images

The fourth season of HBO’s hit series Succession just dropped this year and the final episode will air on May 28 – so how much of the story is based on real-life media tycoon family, the Murdochs?

From Kieran Culkin’s portrayal of younger son Roman to Sarah Snook’s savvy Siobhan and Jeremy Strong playing the heir apparent, Kendall, their roles share many similarities to Rupert Murdoch’s kids

HBO’s Succession has taken the world by storm throughout its four seasons. Chronicling the Roy family’s turbulent journey as they fight over leadership of their worldwide media empire, the series has often drawn comparisons to the lives of real-life billionaires.

Showrunner Jesse Armstrong created HBO hit series Succession, which is believed to have been inspired by billionaire Rupert Murdoch’s family. Photo: @succession/Instagram

While showrunner Jesse Armstrong told HBO that the events of the series are inspired by a mix of different media families – “like the Hearsts, to modern-day Redstone, John Malone, Robert Fitz of Comcast, Murdoch, and Robert and Rebekah Mercer, who founded Breitbart”– fans believe that the Murdochs, the family behind News Corporation and Fox Corporation, are the true inspiration behind the characters of Succession. An article by Forbes even reveals that Armstrong wrote a screenplay entitled Murdoch about Rupert Murdoch before the creation of the HBO series.

So how similar are the Roys and the Murdochs, exactly? We look at some of the parallels between the two families and their members ahead of the show’s big finale on May 28.

Rupert Murdoch and Logan Roy

Brian Cox (left) plays the character Logan Roy in HBO hit series Succession; Rupert Murdoch (right) has been hailed as the character’s real-life counterpart. Photos: AP, Reuters

Logan Roy, the fictional family’s cunning leader, is often compared to Rupert Murdoch, the patriarch of the Murdoch family. The two lead expansive media empires including fields such as television, film, publishing and digital. CNN Business describes Rupert as a ruthless businessman who confronts competition by buying them or running them out of business; these aggressive tactics are similar to those used by Logan in the show.

Rupert Murdoch in London with sons James (right) and Lachlan (left) in March 2016. Photo: TNS

Both Rupert and Logan have also been married multiple times, with children across different marriages. The two have complicated relationships with their children: a person close to the Murdochs told Vanity Fair that Rupert believed a Darwinian struggle would produce the most capable heir and pitted his children against each other throughout their lives – much like Logan did in the series.

Prudence MacLeod and Connor Roy

Connor Roy (left) is the eldest son of patriarch Logan Roy, albeit from a previous marriage, and similarly, Prudence MacLeod (right) is also a child from a previous marriage in real life. Photos: Getty Images, @succession/Instagram